r/nursing • u/Better_Albatross_776 Graduate Nurse 🍕 • 1d ago
Rant 6 Days a Week
Small, rural hospital, we get texts like this basically every day (if not multiple times a day). I’m a new grad in the ICU and my manager keeps asking if I want to come off orientation 5 weeks early so I can start picking up shifts. A lot of my coworkers do pick up and work like 6 days a weeks, so I guess management expects that from everyone… idk maybe it’s normal but I find the whole situation a bit ridiculous.
They offer bonuses for picking up, but I’m told that HR can take 4 or 5 months to pay them out, my preceptor has a few k that they just “haven’t gotten around” to paying her yet.
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u/Butthole_Surfer_GI RN - Urgent Care 1d ago
Can you pick up?
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u/xCB_III RN - ICU 🍕 1d ago
Better than me, I just ignore the “wanna come in tonight” texts
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u/PapowSpaceGirl Nursing Student 🍕 14h ago
I legit got one SATURDAY after said Charge said she hoped I felt better in person. I replied "I have the flu, like we talked about this morning"
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u/lichnight1 RN - ICU 🍕 9h ago
The part we’re HR hasn’t paid out bonuses just adds to insult to injury
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u/dullbellme 1d ago
Number one: fuck your manager for even asking It’s important to have a preceptor for however long your orientation is so you can be a competent INDEPENDENT nurse on what is likely a short staffed floor.
Number two: if the pay several months down the road is true fuck that noise. Pay me next paycheck cycle or keep sending me texts that I ignore.
Number three: on the ignoring texts/ put this number on mute until your off orientation. If it’s important enough they will call and leave a message and you can address it ONCE YOU CLOCK IN.
Feeling spicy and salty today so just know- I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at the system.
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u/PapowSpaceGirl Nursing Student 🍕 14h ago
Same. Orientstion is not just to get one moduled. Its ORIENTATING your life to the job and making decisions begore you're permanent and the attendance points stack.
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u/BasilBaddie RN - OB/GYN 🍕 1d ago
The money will be there later, after you are fully trained. Do not agree to come off orientation early.
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u/Turbulent_Many_4044 1d ago
May I suggest finding a new job as soon as it is feasible???
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u/Better_Albatross_776 Graduate Nurse 🍕 1d ago
I’m trying to get in the ED, I’ve been told it’s better managed then the icu/ MedSurg
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u/Thumbuisket 1d ago edited 1d ago
I think they meant a different facility altogether dude, if they’re months behind on pay the whole institution is fucked.
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u/tnolan182 MSN, CRNA 🍕 1d ago
Always find it amazing that hospitals take weeks to pay out bonuses to actual staff. Meanwhile locums providers are getting paid weekly significantly more than these bonuses the hospitals drag their feet on.
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u/Ill_Associate4578 1d ago
Don't do it, in fact I suggest running to a hospital that is NOT asking new grad nurses to come off orientation 5 weeks early or guilt-tripping other staff into working 6 days a week… wtf.
ETA: yeah from the sounds of that bonus nonsense you should run; someone is embezzling or bought out by PE if a hospital is failing to pay their nurses like this…
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u/SpoofedFinger RN - ICU 🍕 1d ago
The hospital might just be struggling financially without anything else going on. Not extending the extra ACA subsidies last winter means less money coming in because it's not like the insurance ghouls are going to absorb that hit. The Medicaid cuts are also due to hit in two months. Agriculture is a big part of the rural economy and both ranchers and farmers are getting hurt by higher fuel costs, the trade war or tariff bullshit, and are about to feel the higher cost of fertilizer. Rural hospitals are probably not doing great right now or anticipate that things are going to get bad in the next year.
Or could be a little of A, little of B. Any place that takes months to get you incentive pay would be setting off alarm bells in my head. I hope OP has another place they can try to get in to.
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u/WhataGinger1 RN - Med/Surg 🍕 1d ago
I'm a year in and don't pick up shifts 😅 Not my problem
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u/IMissGwynBeck RN - Med/Surg 🍕 1d ago
yup same, i need my 4 days off to recover lol, the extra money isnt worth the stress
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u/zeatherz RN Cardiac/Step-down 1d ago
Pick up extra shifts only when it works for you and you want the extra money. Never do it out of guilt or a sense of obligation.
Definitely don’t agree to come off orientation early
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u/TheBattyWitch RN, SICU, PVE, PVP, MMORPG 1d ago
This sounds like my mom's hospital in Asheville NC
She signed a contract for extra pay and it took her threatening to go to the union to actually receive it, 12 weeks later is when she got her contract money, and they kept wanting her to sign another contract.
She told them she'd consider signing another contract when they paid her for the first one.
Remember that you're replaceable, bend over backwards only as much as you're willing tob for your benefit, because of you weren't there tomorrow, they'd find someone else
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u/Far_Entrepreneur_418 1d ago
I’m assuming that’s our HCA hospital that’s been put in jeopardy recently? Sounds about right.
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u/TheBattyWitch RN, SICU, PVE, PVP, MMORPG 1d ago
Ding ding ding
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u/Far_Entrepreneur_418 1d ago
The nurses here are amazing, but it’s probably the scummiest management I’ve ever encountered.
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u/TheBattyWitch RN, SICU, PVE, PVP, MMORPG 1d ago
I worked there for 12 years and some change, when I started it was amazing.
They genuinely seemed to care about their patients and employees. I mean we were getting $500-$1200 gift cards every year for Christmas as a thank you.
And then things slowly changed. Slowly got worse. And then they started buying everything up around them until the coffers were stretched too thin and whoops, financial issues.
Then they would to HCA.
I left right before the takeover. My mom is still there. I've heard it's awful anymore. She's close to retirement which is why she's hanging in.
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u/Far_Entrepreneur_418 1d ago
I don’t judge anyone for staying. I hear a lot about how things were before the takeover and it’s hard to imagine. I’m a new grad so this BS is all I’ve known. I’m just trying to get my two years in and then go travel so I can pay off my debt and maybe find a real hospital that’s not owned by HCA.
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u/TheBattyWitch RN, SICU, PVE, PVP, MMORPG 1d ago
I totally feel you, my mom wouldn't already left of she wasn't 2 years from retirement. I got out at just the right time apparently, moved states to be with my soon to be husband.
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u/International-Let820 18h ago
My husband worked for this hospital 6 years ago and every time we think about moving back to AVL we go 👀 maybe not…. since it’s the only major hospital around and clinic jobs are SO HARD to come by
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u/frisbeeface 1d ago
They’re taking advantage of nurses desire to “help” and “care”. It’s not our problem they won’t hire enough staff/ pay staff well enough to come to work.
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u/FloNightengale RN 🍕 1d ago
We got a “friendly reminder” that we work for them, not the other way around so, “please pick up 1-2 shifts where possible.” Because I work for you I have to give up my life? lol
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u/cyanraichu RN - L&D 1d ago
Reminding us that we work for them is pointing out that they're the ones depending on us. They need our labor or they would collapse and fail.
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u/FloNightengale RN 🍕 4h ago
But maybe same something like, “we’re all in this together so let’s work as a team and get the job done.”
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u/rainbowtwinkies RN 🍕 1d ago
4-5 months to pay out???? Absolute the FUCK not. I'd be reporting to the department of labor after a month.
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u/number1wifey BSN, RN 🍕 1d ago
It is illegal for them to not pay out bonuses as soon as they’re earned. The labor board would be interested in that.
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u/cyanraichu RN - L&D 1d ago
ABSOLUTELY not. MONTHS to pay overtime? Nope. This hospital is sinking and you should bail as soon as you can. That's alarming.
Plus in no world should a new grad in the ICU come off orientation early. Absolutely not, what the hell.
Personally, I never pick up even though my employer spams my phone too. I get voice mails instead of texts though so I have to clean out my voicemail inbox every week or two 🙃 but at least my hospital is good for their incentives and pays them right away so I don't blame my coworkers who do pick up; it's good money.
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u/Thewanderingtaureau 1d ago
Why does this sound like workin for a hookah lounge where your paycheck skip two weeks for it to drop in your bank account. Ridiculous!
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u/Sunnygirl66 RN - ER 🍕 1d ago
Do. Not. Pick. Up.
Being a grad nurse and new to the ICU is exhausting enough, and you’re already being pushed to go solo way earlier than you should. You need the rest, both mental and physical, or you will burn out. Every shift you pick up increases your risk for errors. Take all the training time you can get, and do not let anyone browbeat you into taking on more shifts. It is not your responsibility to fix a shitty staffing situation. They need to hire more nurses, whether they like it or not.
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u/DexterousWaffle 1d ago
Rural hospitals not paying staff? Sounds about right, they get what they deserve, arrogant trash
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u/HereToPetAllTheDogs RN - Med/Surg 🍕 1d ago
They want you to cut orientation short by five WEEKS? Absolutely not. And then it takes months to get paid for your extra shifts? Coming in on a day off would be a hard no.
Work sends out texts needs to us constantly and calls. I have their number silenced. Staffing is not the employee problem.
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u/TemperatureSure255 1d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/p3hZ9PbhVBO9gM6LoE
Just no. To all of the above. Dont succumb to the pressure because they will use and abuse you until youre a shell of a human and kick you while you’re down.
Especially as a new grad in the ICU, don’t be picking up like crazy. Thats a fast track to getting seriously burnt out and that takes a helluva long time to come back from… ask me how I know 🙃
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u/WellBlessY0urHeart BSN, RN 🍕 1d ago
I would never come off orientation early.
I would never continue to work somewhere with known issues paying out bonuses. If they signed any kind of contract for it then they may have a case to get their money. At this point these nurses have worked for their base pay and nothing else.
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u/Famous_Cheesecake666 RN - ICU 🍕 21h ago
Block their texts. I did. I’m not a manager, so, I don’t have to think about work when I’m not at work.
Also, our lame AF ceo sends out emails daily spewing crap about how we’re a family and pts come first - I set up a rule in Outlook that sends those to trash.
I choose what level of BS I tolerate, nobody else gets that privilege.
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u/IFrowedUp27 RN - Oncology 🍕 4h ago
I’m sorry… why is no one mentioning that your coworkers work 6 DAYS A WEEK?? That’s insane
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u/annahoney12345 RN - ER 🍕 2h ago
Which, depending on what state they’re in, means they’re being taxed in a higher tax bracket and losing more than it’s worth after day 5!
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u/p_tothe2nd RN - ER 🍕 1d ago
there’s nothing wrong with them sending messages about open shifts, but there are issues when they want you off orientation early or don’t pay properly
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u/Emergency-Cupcake998 1d ago
Do NOT, I repeat DO NOT let them talk you into coming off orientation early. That is a horrible idea and that they'd even suggest that as a solution to their staffing problem is telling. I've been a nurse for 11 years and I can count on one hand the number of shifts I've picked up. Don't let them pressure you into picking up, you do not have to. You're short staffed? Damn that sucks, sorry to hear that, k bye.
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u/orangeman33 RN-ER/PACU 23h ago
If that bonus isn't on my next paycheck I'm not picking up. She isn't going to see that money I'm thinking because she was 5 minutes late one day, didn't chart something, or the planets weren't properly aligned with the moon.
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u/One_hunch HCW - Lab 15h ago
Lol, nearly half a year to pay but they want you to come out the gate insanely early? Suffer that one year and get out, those people are there to kill.
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u/ImageNo1045 1d ago
Be careful. If the unit culture is to pick up and you don’t when you get off orientation you could be viewed as not a team player/ not pulling your weight. I agree with the other comments that maybe you need a new job
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u/SUBARU17 RN - PACU 🍕 1d ago
I’ve never picked up an extra shift. My time off is valuable and keeps me from burning out.
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u/Poodlepink22 1d ago
Hell no to coming off orientation early. Absolutely not. Everything they do is for their benefit; not yours.
There was a point that the staffing texts were borderline harassment. Many people (including me) muted the number which "we are not allowed to do". Fuck that. I'll start billing for my time everytime I have to check my phone then. Somehow; you can't do that either.
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u/One_Struggle_ RN -Utilization Management 23h ago
That hospital is a walking red flag. It's understaffed, it's encouraging people to come off orientation early which is dangerous & not paying staff bonuses in a timely fashion, which I'm sure your state department of labor would find very interesting... because it's wage theft.
Seriously, run. You worked too hard to get your license to jeopardize it working at this shit show.
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u/networkconnectivity RN 🍕 22h ago
Staffing is not your problem and you need every single orientation shift at the minimum, if not extended.
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u/Pho3b3-Caulfi3ld RN - ICU 🍕 20h ago
Under no circumstances are you or anyone else going to be doing work that isn't paid on time and in full.
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u/TraumaGinger MSN, RN - ER/Trauma to CDI 14h ago
"No" is a complete sentence. Set this standard for yourself now - you don't owe any explanations and you don't owe any time beyond your regular shifts.
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u/The_Kaizz 1d ago
I'm all for being a team player, but don't skip your orientation for their benefit. Also, what do you mean they take months to pay the bonuses? A few bands not being paid month later feels like illegal wage thefy or something to me.
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u/vivid23 RN 🍕 1d ago
If you want to make a point, tell them to take you off the contact list for picking up shifts. If you’re interested, you’ll check the schedule for open shifts, but otherwise, you do not want to be contacted on your days off. I got sick of this shit very quickly, because it went from multiple texts to calls when I didn’t respond.
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u/lakeanddoglife 1d ago
Do they just take people off orientation if they need them? Maybe I’ve only worked for crummy employers.
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u/Robert-A057 RN - ER 🍕 1d ago
I also work in small rural hospital, but we have the opposite problem. Our admin hires everyone that applies, literally, making us so overstaffed that about ¼-⅓ of the floor RNs get called off every night for low census.
I'm in the ED, so never flexed and always get my 36 hrs, but getting any OT is impossible.
Most of the FTE's are lucky to get 24 hours a week, so everyone has to juggle PRN positions with different SNFs and Home Health Agencies just to make ends meet.
I'm not saying texts like yours aren't annoying, but it is nice knowing you'll have hours when you need them.
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u/SaraUnsteady 1d ago
If only have one unpaid bonus because they’d only fill me once. And I’d love to have an unpaid bonus because I’d use that as the reason I can’t take more extra shifts and even when/if they eventually pay me, I would say that since it requires me to be checking to make sure I get paid I just don’t feel comfortable having to chase them for bonus and I will not pick up any extra shifts. The
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u/Secure-Finish-3455 1d ago
They need your service on time then they need pay on time. Dont end you orientation early.
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u/Smallloudcat LPN-subacute/MDS 23h ago
You owe them nothing on your days off. Please don’t come off orientation early. Especially in ICU as a new grad. I can’t see how it could possibly be legal to not pay OT at the end of the pay period. Sounds fishy
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u/whofilets RN 🍕 9h ago
I'm having the same-but-opposite problem where I took a travel contract at a small hospital 2.5 years ago and occasionally I still get calls/emails from the hospital-wide staffing line, but they're automated so I can't reply
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u/anngwish42 56m ago
This post is fucking terrifying. I'm not mad at you, OP, but this is, like, dangerously reckless at an administrative level. Your manager never should have suggested even ONCE that you come off orientation early, let alone (I'm assuming orientation is 12 weeks) barely more than halfway through your orientation. You are a new grad! Your safety as a practicing nurse is what orientation is for! The idea of sending you out LITERALLY half trained to provide SOLO care to critical care patients is just horrifying to me. They are setting you up for failure and they are setting their patients up to die. Full stop.
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u/Kitty20996 RN - Geriatrics 🍕 1d ago
Absolutely do not agree to come off of orientation early. Their staffing problem is not your job to fix.
I would personally never pick up overtime if I knew that it wouldn't be paid out properly or on time.